Knitting machine



NOV. 23, 1943 i w NEEDHAM 2,335,075

1 KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IO /o /o ///l//V"0A B Wm. Needhain,

-' A Tram/2y Nov. 23, 1943. w. NEEDHAM 2,335,075

KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M/l/E/VTOR Wm.Needha/m,

' firmizy Patented Nov. 23, 1943 I g 1 i I l i 2,335,075 7 v I v ;Wii1 iam Needham.-Arnolfl.England it Appiie ationluneis,194,2 Serial No; 445,608

1'1. .5xInGreatjBl'itiiinfApr-lr 194 y n w 6, i 1 This invention is for improvements "inandfapbetweenthat-small dimension which is desirable plicableto knitting machines an 'th' roduc at {thelocation occupied by a normally. cleared on of fabric thereon v r v 'ioopto that greater dimensionwhich is desirable Viewed from one aspect.theinvention-cwsists to]provide an adequatezguidefor ,the' needle in in'the provision of means forseverinz the fio'a its tricki In a furtheraltemative, Fig. 3, just threads in fabrics produced on-circular knitting below. suoh aswellj l3 there is a deep but narrow machines by the employment ofa ga ofin i cleft i4 {inthestem of the-needle extending inoperative needles. 1 flflardsf from the front edge thereof and directed A particular featureof the invention'consists, V diagonallylupwards (i. eltowards'the hook) so in the production on a circular knitting'machineas toformathlnbeak' 13 above said cleft. The of a stocking blank shaped by varying the numf cutting edse isfformed either on the inner and her of inoperative needles in a gap of needlesand er edge 1 of this; cleft i4 and/or on the cutting the float threads at each end of said gap 1 d 1 upper andout r d e ,H th' e fi That s t say during the production of the blank on the flitisformedeither on the inner edge of the beak machine, n V t V l 1 p 115 v or on the mainpart of theneedle stem or on both.

Viewed from another aspect the invention.con-- -The ip of the beakii' preferably projects tosists in the provision in or for a knitting machine Wards slightly beyond the front edge of the main of a knitting-needle having means for cutting part (the ower de p rt II) of the stem. threads during the production of fabric on In astill further. construction, Figat the knitting ma hine, 1 u l f H root of the swell l3 there is a small throat or The invention is particularly, but notv excatch IS, the edges of which are formed as knife clusively, concerned with latch needles, especially ges. Slight y nearer to the hook than this plural latch needles for the production of ladderthroat IS a downwardly-directed latch I6 is resistant fabric according to Patents No. 1,894,319 pivoted, the said latch having 'a limited openand 1,960,161. ingand closing movement. The tip of the latch The foregoing and other features of the inprojects forward sli y yond the front edge vention set out in the appended claims are inof the broad. part i2 of the needle stem. Therecorporated in the constructions which will now r f a D is cleared to an abnormal extent be described with reference to the accompanyit passes on to this latch 16 and thence on to the ing drawings, in which '30 broad part I! of "the stem, which abnormal Figures 1-4 show four variants of cutter, ap-' clearing ov t y e e ected s is well plied to latch needles. l known either by moving the loop or by moving Figure 5 shows the knitting cams for use with the needle. If the loop is then caused to move the needles shown in Figs. 1-3. in the reverse direction it passes under the latch Fig. 5A illustrates the knitting cams for use I6 and by suitable manipulation may be caused with the needle shown in Fig. 4. ,to enter the catch 15 andto be severed.

Figure 6 shows the movements of a plural An important application of the invention is latch needle formed with a cutter, while to that type of circular knitting machine wherein Figure 7 is a diagram of the cams for giving fashioning of the blank is effected during rotasaid movements. 40 tion by varying the number of'needles knitting According to one embodiment of this invention at a certain locality in the needle bed so as to a hooked knitted needle iii of the kind employed produce a divergent or convergent gap across in knitting machines has a cutting or knife edge which floating threads are normally laid. Such Ii formed on the front of its shank or stem i2 machines form the subject of Letters Patent Nos. the P p Of Cutting a 0D moved a o 2,271,386 and 2,191,577. By the exercise of the said stem to an abnormal extent from the hook present invention these floating threads may be of the needle (the abnormal location of said out out as they are formed. For example, each loop being shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1-4). needle which functions as a selvedge needle at This cutting edge or knife edge i I may extend any phase during the formation of a fashioned substantially parallel to the rear edge of the blank may be provided with a cutting edge in needle as shown in Fig. 1 or it may extend accordance with this invention. At an approobliquely upwards towards the rear of the needle. priate time after the float thread has been For example, as showninFig. 2, it maybe formed formed in any one course, one needle at each on a swell or shoulder l3 whereat the depth of side of the gap maybe automatically selected and the needle stem I! from front to rear increases a operated to cut the float thread. The particular needles selected may be those two which at the time of cutting are functioning as. selvedge needles, or they may be those needles next ad- V jacent to the selvedge needles. Alternatively several needles at each side of the gap beyond the normal selvedge needles may knit part of the float thread in order to form what is in. efiect a false selvedge with a few wales of loops between the two selvedges. It will be appreciated that it, now, the yarn is cut by one of the needles intermediate each normal and false selvedlge the yarn is controlled on both sides of the cut by ad- J'acent needle loops. If desired, this cutting need not take place until the thread (or threads, in the case of the ladder resistant fabric) or a second course has been laid upon the needle.

Referring to Figure which shows'the conventional knitting cams of a seamlesshose or movement to clear the loops below the beak and is then lowered so that the loops are taken into the cleft and are cut.

Figure 6 shows at a. to e the various stages in the foregoing operation, the said stages corresponding to the like lettered points in the cams shown in Fig. 7. These cams are in the main similar to those illustrated in patent specification No. 1,844,781 with the addition of earns 28 and 29. The plural latch needle shown in Fig. 6 has a cleft H and beak l3 as in Fig. 3, It is normally raised by cam 23 to clear the ground loop G below the latches, stage a, and is then lowered by cam 24 to bring the ground loop between the latches, stage I). Thereafter it is again raised by cam 25 to bring the ground loop below the bottom latch, both latches being open, and

- the locking thread L is fed across between the half hose machine, the needles normally clear at ca'm l1, knit at stitch cam H and are raised by cam 18, during rotation. Prior to descending the stitch cam H the appropriate needles which are to cut their loops are selected and raised, by selecting mechanism of any appropriate kind to meet the additional cam 19. This cam raises the needles to an abnormal height; in the case of needles according to Fig. 1 or 2 the loops are thereby severed, while in the case of needles according to Fig. 3 the movement to the abnormal height clears the loop below the cleft I 4. The

said needles are then lowered by the additional cam and in the case of needles as'sho'wn in Fig, 3'this results in theloops passing into the clefts l4 so that the'loops are severed. In the case of a needle according to Fig; 4 the needle is only lowered slightly by additional cam 20' (Fig. 5A) so as to bring the loop underneath the Y latch is. Said needle is then raised by additional cam 2| so that the loop is cut by the catch l5, and the needle is finally lowered by cam 22. In the case of a plural latch needle for producing the fabric of the patent hereinbefore reierred to, the ground or main thread and the locking thread are conveniently cut at about the stage whereat normally a loop of lockingthread latches, stage c. In the normal operation of locking the ground loop G the needle is lowered by cam 26 to cause the ground loop G to be cast over the locking loop L into the hook of the needle and to cause the locking loop to be cast ofl, theneedle being again subsequently raised by cam 21. If it is desired to sever the loops, at stage cthe. appropriate needle'is selected to be engaged by the additional up-throw cam 28, which elevates it to stage d whereat both loops are cleared below the beak i3. The needle is then lowered by. additional cam 29 so that both loops pass into the cleft i4 and, as shown at stage e, are severed during the descent of the .2 needle.

, I claim: 1. In a knitting machine for producing a fashioned fabric blank by variations in the number of needles knitting at a certain locality to prowould be cast off over a loop of ground thread.

For example, employing a needle with beak and cleft as hereinbefore described, after the needle has been raised to clear both threads below the latches, instead of being lowered, it is by selective mechanism given an additional upward duce a divergent or convergent gap across which float threads extend, means for severing such threads during production of the fabric, comprising needles operating adjacent each edge of said gap, the stems of which are provided with a cutting edge disposed to be engaged by and to severloops of the thread occupying an abnormal relation to such needles; and means for moving such needles to cause said abnormal relation and severance of saidloops.

2. A circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the severing needles are edge needles.

W. NEEDHAM. 

